Improvement in flame-regulators



G. M. HOPKINS.

Flame-Regulator.

NO. 159 677 ted Fe b.9,1875.

l 7 1520mm:-

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrron.

GEORGE M. HOPKINS, OF ALBION, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN FLAME-REGULATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 159,677, dated February9, 1875; application filed August 31, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. HoPKINs, of Albion, in the county ofOrleans and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements inFlame-Regulators and Flame-Extinguishers for Vulcanizers, of which thefollowing is a specification:

The object of my invention is to control the supply of oil or gas burnedin the process of vulcanizing, so as to maintain a uniform pressure ortemperature, and also to extinguish the flame at the end of the processby shutting ofl' the supply of air which supports the flame where oil isused as fuel. Where gas is used the supply is shut off at the end of theprocess.

Where oil is used the flame is controlled by means of a diaphragm,(which is acted upon by the steam-pressure,) acting, through suitablelevers, upon a slide which surrounds the wick-tube; and the flame isextinguished by throwing this slide up by means of a spring, which isreleased at the proper time by a clock, with which itis connected.

When gas is used a lever, which is moved by the previously-mentioneddiaphragm, is made to compress a piece of thin rubber tubing, throughwhich the gas passes, more or less, as the pressure increases ordiminishes, passing the exact amount necessary to maintain a certainpressure, and, at the end of the time required for vulcanizing, a springis released by means of a clock, which compresses the rubber tube, so asto shut off the gas entirely.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a top view.

A is a reservoir for oil; B, a tube leading to a Wick-tube, O. D is aslide, which surrounds the wick-tube, and is attached to the lever E.This lever is pivoted at a. F is a diaphragm, which is acted upon by thesteampressure from the vulcanizer through a pipe, which is connectedwith the vulcanizer, and is screwed into the regulator at I). G is alever, which is pivoted at c, and connected with a port, d, which isfixed to the diaphragm F. c is a pin, which projects from the lever G,so that it may engage with the lever E. H is a scale, which stands inthe rear of the lever G. I is an ordinary clock, having the index f, towhich is attached the rim 9. This index takes the place of thehour-hand. h is a spring, which is fixed to the side of theclock.

A wire, 5, extends from it nearly across the face of the clock, just infront of the rim 9. A pin, j, projects from the wire, so as to rest onthe rim g.

When oil is used the wire '5 is bent, so as to engage with the lever Ewhen released by the"clock. When gas is used it is bent as shown by thedotted lines 70 in Fig. 1. This brings it over the rubber tube 1,through which gas passes. This tube is so placed under the lever G thatit may be compressed by it as the pressure increases. I

The operation is as follows: When oil is used, the wick being lightedand placed under the vulcanizer, the pressure is gradually raised,which, acting on the diaphragm, raises the short arm of the lever E,thus depressing the long arm. When the pressure reaches the prescribedlimit the pin 6' touches the lever E, thereby raising the slide D,diminishing the size of the flame to just that which is required to keepup the desired pressure. The index f is turned back from the O-mark onthe clock for the time required for vulcanizing, the pin j resting onthe rim g. When the clock carries the index to the Omark the pin j isletofi' from the rim g, when the wire i strikes the lever E, by this meansraising the slide D sufliciently to extinguish the flame.

When gas is used the lever G, when depressed, compresses the rubber tubel, so as to allow only sufficient gas to pass through to maintain thedesired pressure.

The wire 6 is released at the end of the time required for vulcanizingin the same manner as when oil is used, and the extension of the wire k(shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1) is made to press upon the rubbertube with sufficient force to shut the gas entirely 0ft.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the lever E, slide D, wick-tube O, lever G, anddiaphragm F, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of the lever G, diaphragm F, and elastic tube 1,substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of the clock I, rim g, spring h, wire 11, and elastictube 1, as above set forth.

Witnesses: GEO. M. HOPKINS.

JOHN A. STRAIGHT, H. M. HOPKINS.

